War alert in Kosovo

The recent tragic case of the collapse of a bridge in Genoa, Italy, where it caused car crash from 100m high and left more than 40 people dead, has raised alarms in Europe over the state of bridges.

That alarm, according to field experts, should also be for Kosovo.

Naser Kabashi, professor at the Faculty of Construction and Architecture in a conversation for Radio Free Europe talks about the state of bridges in Kosovo, where, according to him, most bridges in Kosovo are old and inspection should be made.

The “generally, not only the bridges, but all objects of particular importance must undergo a permanent control or permanent inspection, which is within the competent” institutions.

“There must be teams of engineers to make a assessment of the actual situation, since in the function of time there may be damage and damage to the nature of the burden of bringing the structure under the action of different conditions and at the same time degrading of materials with the time”, Kabashi says.

Kosovo underlines Kabashi, it should have such an approach to examining bridges, as some of them may have been built 50 or 60 years ago. He adds it is urgent to establish a commission within the Ministry of Infrastructure to become an assessment of the actual state of bridges.

This basic or visual inspection report should be made to have a real mirror and then, where it needs to, take appropriate examinations. Which is the basic domain. Based on the assessment, there's a priority, what bridges need to intervene, what are the bridges that can wait for a certain time and what's good, but the permanent need is at inspection. This is a parameters that are followed everywhere in the various states, and this should be done by the relevant 48x1> institutions, Kabashi says.

The total number of bridges in Kosovo, according to data from the Ministry of Infrastructure, is 373, out of them only 27 are new ones built after the post-war period in Kosovo.

On average, most bridges are built in the 1970s.

The most endangered bridge, according to representatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure, is the bridge to the Customs-Brezovica road model, the village of Firaj and the national road bridge in the village of Drrelaj, at Rugovo in Pec.

Conjuhi from the Infrastructure Minister's cabinet began, Pal Lekaj, tells Radio Free Europe that the risk of these bridges has been found visually, but their situation can be determined precisely if their examination is conducted.

“In view of the fact that Kosovo bridges belong to the 70s (moderately), where construction technology has not been sophisticated as it is now and this is the main parameter that tells of their situation. The state of bridges is not satisfactory, for completing the state of bridges (responsive) their examination must be conducted”, Konjuhi says.

She says that the opportunity will be seen to intervene urgently in bridges that are considered dangerous so as not to be brought to a tragedy.

The modern-based “Alarmi that has been set up in Europe over the state of bridges, after the tragic case in Genoa, Italy, is also for us an alarm leg, which certainly has outdated bridge objects. As minister, we will take all necessary and quick steps by selecting field experts to first do the examination of all bridges and taking steps in a row according to their condition, some of which sites are already alone, in terms of the sustainability of bridges in Kosovo”, says Konjuhi.

Until last year, the maintenance of bridges in Kosovo has been in the framework of road maintenance, but in the past year, a special fund has been allocated.

However, this fund, according to Konjuhi, is not enough to do what these bridges desperately need, which is restructuring or maintaining them.

Citizens who frequent bridges with cars, or in some cases even on foot, remain at risk.

Idriz Wessel, with his car every day, travels to Vushteria Street Mitrovica. He says that on the bridge at the entrance to Mitrovica, there is a large inspection of cars and heavy - weight vehicles.

This bridge can be dangerous is that a very long time built. Car weights are now higher, compared to the past. The bridge does not seem to be in very good shape because there are cracks in some parts of it”, he says.

Africa Geci, a citizen, says he frequents Pristina's Peja Street every day and some of the bridges he goes through, says they are seen as old.

Some are old, seen with their eyes, may also be dangerous. Perhaps it would be best for municipalities or other institutions to control and take measures to repair them, so that no disaster” can occur, Geci says.

Bridges in Kosovo, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure, are inspected up to six times a year, while bridges, which have the most significant damage rate, are said to be constantly controlled.